Technology can be challenging to many in the workplace, but if you’re one of the 53 million adults in America who have a disability, it can add unnecessary obstacles. There ways to improve meeting room accessibility and improve workspaces so that they are user-friendly for everyone.
In the 1990s, the Center for Universal Design at North Carolina State University hosted accessibility experts in devising some guiding principles. With funding from The National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research and the U.S. Department of Education, they came up with seven principles.
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Since the concept of a universal design is about improving accessibility for all kinds of users and accommodating a range of ages, sizes, abilities, and language skills, the principles embrace a variety of environments.
The seven principles of universal design are:
The principles work for all kinds of uses and spaces, including corporate offices with varying meeting spaces.
With collaboration technology, in particular, companies need to take into account employees who have vision or hearing troubles.
Unfortunately, some workers opt for consumer-grade video conferencing options that make hearing meetings more difficult.
And, with a vision impairment, it’s not just the displayed material that viewers need to see clearly. Sometimes users struggle with tiny control buttons that are not intuitive or easy to use.
When creating accessible workspaces, there are a lot of factors to consider when making them not only functional but as accessible and easy to use as possible. It's important to first understand how that workspace will be used. And then, find out who's going to use that space.
These two primary factors will determine which kinds of AV solutions you'll want to incorporate into these areas.